Print, broadcast and online media have covered many cases on which ComCon has worked, both civil and criminal. While ComCon's practice is significantly more diverse than our cases covered by the media, ComCon's cases in the news offer insight into our work and practices.

Noteworthy Civil Cases

Many civil cases on which ComCon has worked are of interest to the public. Currently, print and video coverage is available for ComCon civil cases on:

After Raul Ramirez was found not guilty by a jury and factually innocent by a judge in a criminal trial, he brought suit against the L.A. County Sheriff's Department for violation of his civil rights. Dr. Kellermann consulted on behalf of Mr. Ramirez in both cases. In the criminal case, Dr. Kellermann provided Michael Artan and Michael Sobel with presentation and jury selection assistance. In the civil case, Dr. Kellermann helped the now “three Michaels” (added is Michael Olecki) fashion case themes, shape damages arguments and select the jury. Mr. Ramirez was awarded $18 million in compensatory damages, the largest award ever made against the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. The three Michaels were recognized as California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year in 2007.

Adetokunbo Shoyoye sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for being unlawfully detained in jail for 15 days after dismissal of a misdemeanor charge for not having a ticket for a transit train. The Sheriff's Department claimed a clerical error was to blame for Mr. Shoyoye, a black man of Nigerian descent, being confused with another detainee. Dr. Kellermann assisted plaintiff attorney Gary Casselman with timeline development, graphic presentation, case strategy, voir dire, and jury selection. The Sherriff's Department offered Mr. Shoyoye $1,000 when he was released from custody, the defense offered $40,000 to settle the case, a jury awarded Mr. Shoyoye $202,700, and a judge awarded attorney fees and costs.

Dr. Kellermann consulted for the defense, the City of Long Beach, conducting post verdict juror interviews to understand the jury deliberations, which lasted 5 months (after a 6 month trial). The defense appealed on grounds of juror misconduct. The judge reduced the compensatory damages award by $9 million. The parties settled the remaining damages and attorneys fees in June, 2006.

Dr. Kellermann was a member of the trial consulting team that prepared the defense, Union Carbide, for success at trial. Dr. Kellermann provided presentation assistance and mock trial research assistance. The verdict questions asked about fraud, the case argued by the plaintiff was about corporate responsibility for asbestos, and the decision reached by jurors was that Kelly-Moore’s actions are Kelly-Moore’s burden. The defense defeated a nationally known and local plaintiff attorney in a bet-the-company case in Angleton, Texas.

Based on an oral agreement, J.C. Uni-Tec claimed it was promised payment of a significant commission, forever, on Dr. Naidu"s considerable sales to Nikken, in exchange for having introduced Dr. Naidu to decision-makers at Nikken. In this bet-the-company case, Dr. Kellermann assisted Dr. Naidu's defense attorney Michael Olecki with deposition strategy, case development, case strategy, theme development, mock trial research, juror profiling and voir dire recommendations. On the first day of trial, the defense won the case on a directed verdict.

Amit Seilabi, a former employee, sued for breach of contract for failure to pay wages, to pay his $80,000+ business school tuition at USC, and for partial ownership of the company. In this bet-the-company case, Dr. Kellermann assisted defense attorney Michael Olecki with voir dire recommendations, juror profiling, and in-court jury selection assistance. All claims were decided in favor of the defense, including the defense's cross-claim of malicious prosecution. The plaintiff was required to pay the defense $258,000 in damages, attorney fees, and costs.

Mr. Williams sued his insurance broker for failure to secure workers compensation insurance for his business which left him with a $5.8 million loss when an employee was injured. The broker testified that Mr. Williams declined the coverage due to cost. Dr. Kellermann assisted plaintiff attorney Patrick Vastano with case strategy, case themes, juror profiling, voir dire recommendations and, on the first day of trial, the decision to try the case before the judge rather than to a jury. The judge found for Mr. Williams and awarded $5.8 million in damages. The decision was upheld on appeal.

Ricardo Ureno, 13, was injured by a garbage truck when riding his bicycle through a crosswalk. A jury found both the driver and the company liable. After the trial, attorney Jeff Braun contacted Dr. Kellermann to conduct post verdict interviews of jurors. Dr. Kellermann obtained five signed declarations from jurors based on these interviews, and the defense appealed the verdict.

Gretchen Loudon sued a Catholic hospital, in which she had not been a patient, for damages for sexual assault by a male nurse once employed at that hospital. The jury found the Catholic hospital liable for failing to report this nurse's previous sexual assaults on patients. Dr. Kellermann consulted for the plaintiff, providing case consultation, presentation assistance and jury selection assistance (juror profiling, juror questionnaire, in-court jury selection assistance).

Mr. Billock, a minister, was charged with raping a developmentally challenged, 9 year old foster daughter. Dr. Kellermann assisted defense attorneys Michael Pancer and Doug Gilliland by drafting juror profiles, a juror questionnaire and voir dire recommendations; preparing and evaluating witnesses; evaluating completed juror questionnaires; advising during in-court jury selection; and offering presentation assistance. The jury hung 6-6. When the the case was retried, the juror questionnaire previously used was not permitted and the prosecution had additional foster children testify about alleged (uncharged) molestation. The second jury deliberated for over a week and declared itself hung, then found Mr. Billock guilty. The verdict has been appealed.

Ms. Ma, a young Phillipine immigrant, suffocated her baby at birth. Ms. Ma pled not guilty by reason of insanity. The jury in the initial trial hung 6-6 in the sanity phase. Dr. Kellermann assisted Alan Eisner in the retrial of the sanity phase with case strategy, juror questionnaires, voir dire recommendations, in-court jury selection, presentation assistance, and witness examinations. The jury in the second trial found Ms. Ma temporarily insane when she suffocated her infant.

Edgar Omar Osorio, an alleged gang member, was charged with murdering two women: a civilian employee of the Sheriff's Department shot during a robbery of her apartment, and an elderly woman burned in a fire set to the apartment building. Dr. Kellermann provided case consultation and jury selection assistance (voir dire recommendations, juror questionnaire, in-court jury selection) to Public Defenders Steve Biskar and Hector Chaparro to obtain life in prison without the possibility of parole, rather than death, for the defendant.

Dr. Kellermann assisted Alternate Public Defenders Hector Chaparro and Julie Swain with case consultation, voir dire recommendations, juror questionnaire, in-court jury selection, and presentation assistance in the ‘Home Depot’ case. The case drew extensive media attention, the victim had a young family, and Mr. Richardson had a significant prior felony record of domestic violence and rape. The judge rejected the parties' juror questionnaires and drafted his own, refusing all questions about LWOP, mitigating factors, and crimes deserving of death. The jury hung in the penalty phase despite a prior unanimous vote for death. Mr. Richardson is not currently represented by the APD Office.

Frank Najor, a U.S. citizen born in Iraq, was on probation. Mr. Najor was caught up in an FBI sting and charged with conspiring to sell counterfeit cigarettes. Mr. Najor said he was working undercover, helping the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. In 2007, Mr. Najor's federal jury found him not guilty. Dr. Kellermann assisted with voir dire recommendations and jury selection.

Michael Pancer and Chuck Goldberg defended two attorneys charged with fraud, embezzlement and tax evasion in their business of selling homeowners insurance. Dr. Kellermann provided assistance negotiating the juror questionnaire, evaluating completed questionnaires, recommending voir dire questions and jury selection. In November, 2007, the jury hung 7 to 5 in favor of acquittal. The judge subsequently dismissed all charges after opining the state would never get 12 jurors to agree.